IQNA

TEHRAN (IQNA) – Thousands of protesters began crowding Jakarta’s streets on Friday for a rally organized by Muslim groups to demand that the governor of Indonesia’s capital face jail over insulting the Quran.

About 18,000
riot police and military personnel were deployed to Jakarta for the march on
the presidential palace, which is expected to start after midday Friday prayers
and break up around 6 p.m. local time. Some protesters held signs saying "Jail
Ahok” and "Ahok Is an Enemy of Islam,” using the nickname of Governor Basuki
Tjahaja Purnama, an ally of President Joko Widodo.

The protest
comes as Purnama is locked in a three-way battle to run Jakarta that has become
a proxy fight for some of the nation’s most powerful political figures, Bloomberg
reported.

Widodo
called for unity ahead of the rally while meeting with Muslim leaders and
reaching out to political opponents, including former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono,
whose son is also running for governor.

Purnama said
last month that voters were being deceived by people trying to use Quranic
verses to say that Muslims are not permitted to support a Christian leader.

Yudhoyono
and Muslim groups have said the comments amounted to blasphemy, which can land
offenders in jail for as many as five years. Purnama has said it was a misunderstanding.

Police
Questioning

Police
grilled Purnama for several hours over the comments on Oct. 24, and he was
released without charges. National Police chief General Tito Karnavian said
Wednesday that the governor would face further questioning over the comments.

Yudhoyono
held a news conference on Wednesday in which he rejected claims that the
protest was orchestrated by the governor’s political opponents, while insisting
that police should continue to investigate the blasphemy charges.

"If we do
not wish this country to get burned by the anger of justice-seekers, Ahok has
to be processed in accordance with the law,” the former president said,
referring to the governor. "He cannot be perceived as being above the law.”

There is no comment on quran which is allegedly said to be blasphemous.

There is a comment regarding people who uses the tafsir to advances their political interest by inciting people not to elect a non-muslim leader based on Almaidah 51. When contextually it is a Verse dealing with alligience with jews and christian in a war time period.